


Translating (Your Love Language)

by Goth-Bias (GothBias)



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: (sort of), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Ambiguous Relationships, Character Study, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Loss, Love Confessions, Meet-Cute, Multi, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Polyamory, Sad Saihara Shuichi, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24575743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothBias/pseuds/Goth-Bias
Summary: 8 ways to tell someone you love them featuring different V3 ships.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki, Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi, Harukawa Maki/Saihara Shuichi, Iruma Miu/Oma Kokichi, Iruma Miu/Shinguji Korekiyo, K1-B0/Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 180





	1. Two For One Special (Shuichi/Kaito/Maki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Not said to me.  
> Warning(s): Spoilers for the first chapter!  
> Tags: Polyamory, Cuddling & Snuggling, Not Actually Unrequited Love.

Sometimes Shuichi wonders what the hell he did in his past life to deserve the things he’s gone through. Being stuck in this academy, being spoon fed his own memories, seeing those he cares for die time after time, and having to condemn the ones who did it that he doesn’t care about any less than those who are lost.

Saving everyone’s  _ass_ time and time again in those class trials and, somehow, being seen as the bad guy. Having to hear his friends yell accusations like, _“What, you_ _want_ _to suspect him?”_ and _“C’mon don’t you_ _believe_ _in me?”_ is getting so sickeningly bitter that he can’t even force himself to argue anymore.

_‘No, I don’t want to suspect you,’_ he thinks to himself late at night staring at his ceiling,  _‘I have to.’_

It’s only when Kaito smacks his back so hard he jolts or when Maki picks him up for training most nights that Shuichi is forcefully reminded that he  isn’t  the bad guy.

It isn’t until now that it truly hits him that if he doesn’t do the things he does his two favorite people in the world wouldn’t be here with him laying out in the grass. He’s tired, uneven breaths rattling his chest as he lays flat out on the grass, tickling his face and fingers. It’s cold out tonight and it burns his lungs as he breathes in, but he relishes in the feeling.

His fingertips brush against Kaito’s bare wrist and Maki’s breath fans across his face as she rolls to her side to face the boys. Shuichi feels amazing in this moment, high on the two people he loves the most in the world being so close and the adrenaline of his workout.

If he closes his eyes he can almost imagine what it would feel like if Maki just leaned over and rested her chin against his shoulder or if Kaito gripped his fingers between his own or,  _god have mercy_ , if they both did it at the same time.

And he loves them, even with their distance from him, loves them so much that it just  hurts.

He closes his eyes, a small smile on his face as the wind brushes across his chilled face, and he feels so at peace with the world around him. There may be a killing game going on, he may have lost the first person he’s ever loved to it, but in this moment he’s okay.

He hopes Kaede is looking down on him in this moment and feels as happy for him as he feels.

“I love you,” Maki mumbles and Shuichi’s eyes open up wide. He feels like he’s lagging with how hard he’s trying to process the moment at hand.

Who was she talking to? She couldn’t have possibly meant him, right? Or maybe this is the moment he’s been dreaming of, where she tells them that she loves them both and they live happily ever after-

“I love you too,” Kaito echoes and Shuichi’s entire world crumbles beneath his feet.

How could he ever think that they could love him or that’d they would ever want something like that? He’s foolish to ever even think that he had the option of being with both of them, that they would want  him  when they could just have each other.

He can’t even blame them, they’re both infinitely better than he is. Maki is one of the prettiest girls he’s ever seen and so insanely strong, Kaito is boisterous and confident and-

He feels like he can’t breathe.

“O-oh sorry, I’ll just-“ Shuichi doesn’t even bother to finish his sentence as he scrambles off the ground, half embarrassed he ruined their moment and half worried tears were going to come falling down his face any second now.

He turns and gets ready to bolt across the courtyard on shaky legs, hoping to make it to his room before the tears fall.

“Where are you going bro?” Kaito calls out, voice questioning and Shuichi contemplates not answering and bolting.

“I don’t want to ruin your, uh, moment.” Shuichi awkwardly says, his eyes not meeting Kaito’s even as he looks back at the two people he loves. They’re sitting up now, but that’s as much as he can tell with his eyes firmly trained on the ground between them where he had just been laying.

“The moment includes you too, idiot.” Maki says, her words harsh but her tone soft. Shuichi’s eyes jolt up to her face before he can even think, surprise hitting him like a shockwave.

She’s giving him one of her rare smiles, cheeks softly flushed pink in a way Shuichi never expected of her. His eyes hesitantly wander to Kaito’s face to see if he shared the sentiment and found him staring at him with such a soft expression the boy felt as if he could melt.

“C’mon man, you’re  both  my sidekicks, my two for one special.” Kaito says, hand held out for Shuichi to take. The detective’s entire face is hot now, his hand covering his mouth doing nothing to hide the pink dusting his cheeks. His free hand finds Kaito’s and then he’s gently pulled to sit down between the two of them.

Kaito’s hand grasping his own lets him go and Shuichi doesn’t even have time to mourn the loss of contact before the taller boy is wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him in to hold him. With Kaito’s arm wrapped around both Shuichi’s shoulders he’s given no option but to curl in on Kaito, his face resting in the place between his shoulder and chest. As soon as Shuichi rests against Kaito, he slides his arm from his shoulder to around his waist. Butterflies erupt in Shuichi’s chest and he turns to press his nose against him to hide his deepening blush, letting his hand fall from his face.

It’s more than he’s dared to ever think about. He let himself fantasize about holding hands or fleeting hugs and murmured love confession, but never let himself think further than that in fear of breaking his own heart.

“Don’t hog him.” Maki says firmly and Shuichi nearly jumps as the girl ducks under his arm. In a gentle way Shuichi never expected to come from Maki, she tucks her chin softly against the side of his neck, her nose gently brushing his jaw as she rests her face against his own. Albeit hesitantly, Shuichi mimics Kaito and wraps his arm around Maki’s waist.

“Wasn’t my intention Maki Roll.” Kaito retorts, his free hand finding Maki’s over Shuichi’s body, intertwining their fingers.

Shuichi feels warm between the two of them, butterflies storming around in his stomach like preparing to take flight and take off with him.

“Is this okay?” Maki asks, her breath ghosting his cheek.

“Perfect, I love you both,” Shuichi breathes out and he’s never meant anything more in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a less literal version to this prompt bc I didn’t want to hurt my own feelings
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Bias


	2. Learning Curve (Shuichi/K1-B0)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In awe, the first time you realized it.  
> Warning(s): None.  
> Tags: Established Relationship, and Tooth-Rotting Fluff.

Being in love with someone like Kiibo is a learning experience that expands every day. Dating in of itself is an experience, Shuichi knows that, but dating someone that doesn’t experience humanity quite the same way he does adds even more to that.

Like how Shuichi always expected that his boyfriend’s hands would be cold, cliche of him to assume really, but his hands were always perfectly warmed to suit Shuichi. He’s not quite sure if it’s on purpose, but it goes without saying that Shuichi’s grateful for it, especially since his own hands are already so cold.

Or maybe how Kiibo is so short that Shuichi always just considered he couldn’t be  that  heavy, even made out of metal. As it turns out 196 pounds isn’t the easiest for Shuichi to carry and after tumbling into several walls, they ruled it off limits. Seeing as Kiibo’s below average strength can’t be accounted on, even with Shuichi’s very light frame, the two always walk on equal footing rather than carry one another.

Sure, he feels a little sad that Kiibo can’t lay on top of him for long periods of time without crushing him and maybe their friends laugh like crazy seeing Shuichi’s 5’7 frame folded up in Kiibo’s lap, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hell, even affection was a lesson that Shuichi never expected they would have to go over. Just as they had to make adjustments with cuddling, much of their relationship is just a series of adjustments. Kiibo can’t always understand how he’s feeling or how to express it and sometimes Shuichi just can’t decipher them.

The day Kiibo confessed he had said, “You’re interesting Shuichi, why don’t I want other people thinking the same?”

It’s almost embarrassing to think on how long it took him to understand that that’s how  liking  someone feels like to Kiibo. Maybe it’s not the heartfelt confession under the stars with bouquets he’s never dreamed of, but it’s special.

So when Kiibo pulls back from their kiss, fans running on high in attempt to cool his body down, and face bright red, Shuichi isn’t surprised at the dawning realization on his face. Kiibo realizes things about their relationship far more often than Shuichi.

“What is it?” Shuichi asks, hand reaching out to push Kiibo’s wild hair out of his eyes. His warm eyes are scanning over his face, checking for signs of a reboot as his hand smooths over his hair and down his face.

Baby blue eyes meet his and Shuichi would believe it if someone told him his boyfriend’s pupils had turned into hearts based on the lovesick and absolutely wrecked expression on Kiibo’s face.

“I love you Shuichi.” His tone is breathless, like he can’t believe he’s quite saying it, or like he can’t believe he  can  say it.

It was unspoken between the two of them the prospect of love, so afraid of exactly what that aspect would mean for them when their relationship relies on the programming of a man and Kiibo’s abilities to adapt to human life.

Shuichi grins so wide his cheeks hurt, “I love you too.”

Letting Kiibo pull him down onto the bed to lay on his chest, Shuichi collapses into his embrace, always just-right hands find the small of his back beneath his jacket and Shuichi makes sure not to smack his face on Kiibo’s metal collar as he had done many times in the past.

Shuichi will learn just how to handle hearing Kiibo say “I love you” in front of their friends without turning into a total mess. Kiibo will learn exactly how sweetly he has to say it to get his way on things, not that he ever really gets told  no , but getting that extra kiss to the crown of his head paired with Shuichi’s dopey grin is an added bonus.

Every new milestone is just another part of their learning curve and Shuichi’s convinced that he can never get tired of learning new things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short but I love these two dorks a lot and there’s not nearly enough content for them.
> 
> -Bias


	3. Just (Shuichi/Kokichi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In a way I can’t return.  
> Warning(s): Spoilers for the majority of v3!  
> Tags: Light Angst, Sad Saihara Shuichi, Ambiguous Relationships.

Ever since Shuichi woke up in that locker his world has been tilted sideways.

Waking up every morning with a jolt because for a moment he had a dream about something he can’t place once he’s awake, having conversations with people and getting cases of deja vu that he can’t even explain, and the nature of the killing game itself; it’s only natural to feel as though his world is tilted.

For a while that fucked him up more than he could explain. The murders are horrible, they keep him up at night when he feels as if he reeks of death and every time he closes his eyes he sees those that have left.

Not lost, never lost, just... gone.

He overthinks interactions with them, thinking of anything he could’ve said or done to change things. Drives himself crazy over what he can’t change and knows he can’t change, but does it anyway just because he feels like he’s  _failed_ somehow.

Shuichi misses his friends; even more than he misses the gaps in his memory, more than he misses those faint whispers of familiarity slipping through his fingers as he awakes from another dream.

It’s disorienting at best and absolutely depressing at worst.

He thinks of them often, worried they’ll slip between the cracks of his gapped memory and disappear along with anything that ever mattered to him. Placing them in his mind is so easy to him, they were all unique and  special  to him. More so than he can ever explain out loud, something private and sacred.

They mix together in his mind like a melting pot of some of the best people he’s ever known. He thinks of them often, thinks of what made them  them. 

  
Kaede’s determination, Rantaro’s relaxed nature, Ryoma’s sacrifice, Kirumi’s loyalty, Angie’s creativity, Tenko’s optimism, Korekiyo’s love of learning, Miu’s brilliant mind, and Gonta’s golden heart constantly remind him of what he’s fighting for.

If he could even be  half  the person any of them were, Shuichi would feel like a damn good man.

As Kaito stands before him, blood dripping down the corners of his mouth and a paper crumbled up in his hand; Shuichi knows exactly what kind of man Kaito is.

The bravest, most loyal, and incredible person there is. That much is easy for him.

When Kaito holds out the paper in his hand, his other hand finding the back of his neck to rub there, Shuichi’s world turns upside down, inside out, and mirrored.

“He, uh, wrote this for me to say, but I couldn’t do it man. Felt too intimate.” 

Suddenly things aren’t so easy for him, he’s losing his best friend and now he’s coming to the realization he might’ve lost someone who loved him.

The paper is short, simple, and unbearably under-explained.

_‘I love you, Shuichi.’_

And that’s it. That’s all it says. No explanation, no pouring of the heart, no drama he would expect from someone like him. Simple words on an even simpler paper from someone so confusing that Shuichi’s coming to a blank as to what he can even say.

He could fake tears at the drop of a pin, lie through his teeth with no one suspecting a thing, tormented and taunted other students and yet...

_Is that really all he was?_

Shuichi digs and digs, trying to make heads or tails of how he would describe him in the line up with his other friends.

Was Kokichi ever even a friend?

He thinks of all the times Kokichi antagonized him, how he kept him from Kaito in an attempt to work with him, his remarks and attitude, even moments after Gonta’s execution.

Even then, what can he say? What parts of that were a lie and what parts of it was him hiding under layers and between the line between the truth and the lies?

How much of Kokichi did Shuichi actually ever know?

Later that night Kaito’s long list of praise joins Shuichi’s nightly reminder of those he’s lost.

He still doesn’t know what to think of Kokichi as, goes over hundreds of different ideas in his mind as unblinking eyes stare at the simple words on that stupid simple paper.

Worst of it all, he still doesn’t know what he would’ve said if Kokichi had been there in that moment to tell him those words himself.

So he leaves Kokichi blank, but never forgets him in his line up.

Kaede’s determination, Rantaro’s relaxed nature, Ryoma’s sacrifice, Kirumi’s loyalty, Angie’s creativity, Tenko’s optimism, Korekiyo’s love of learning, Miu’s brilliant mind, Gonta’s golden heart, Kaito’s bravery, and Kokichi.

Just Kokichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly, I don’t like this ship or Kokichi for that matter, but I had a LOT of fun writing this. I hope the ambiguity on Shuichi’s feelings are enough to satisfy the shippers <3
> 
> -Bias


	4. To Love, To Lose, and To Continue (Shuichi/Maki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: With a hoarse voice, under blankets  
> Warning(s): Spoilers for all of v3!  
> Tags: Grief/Mourning and Hurt/Comfort

Sometimes Maki looks at the shoes Kaito left for her to fill and doesn’t know how she could ever compare. She doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know how to help, and can’t even begin to fathom how he always had. She wishes she had a little instruction manual from him on how to be a good person, but all she has left is his jacket and memories that hurt more than they help most days.

Long nights staring up at the night sky offers her no answers, but neither does screaming up at them or taking showers so hot her skin stays red for hours afterwards.

The thing about leaving the killing game is that you never actually get to  leave. Physical being is nothing when they can never mentally escape from the things they saw; Maki doesn’t think they’ll  _ever_ be truly free from the horrors of what they went through.

Himiko spends her day cheering the two up, smiling, and doing her best to keep them on their toes and busy. She does such a good job at hiding her pain that Maki wouldn’t even think twice of the dark circles under the redhead’s eyes if it weren’t for the screams coming from her room every night.

Maki hides all her feelings in a file clearly labeled _‘do not touch’_ , not saying much and showing even less. Even as her and Shuichi bundle up under Kaito’s jacket, desperately trying to catch the tail end of his scent, she refuses to let Shuichi see her cry. She’s hurting, anyone can see it, but she won’t let herself be as weak as the day she left him. She wants to be stronger for him and even stronger for Shuichi who still needs her.

Shuichi doesn’t try to mask his pain like the girls do, Kaito always said he was an open book, but even with Shuichi saying exactly how he feels she can’t really decipher him.

They’ll ask how he sleeps and he’ll respond with a smile, but with a tone that has agony laced on every letter,  _“Not that great, had nightmares of Kaito’s execution again.”_

Even as it causes him physical pain, Shuichi goes out of his way to talk about those they’ve lost as if he can speak them into existence by mere mention.

_“That flower is the same shade as Kaede’s vest,”_ He’ll say like he just caught his hand in a door.

 _“I wonder what Kiibo would think of this,”_ He’ll say like he just he received a sucker punch to the stomach.

 _“Do you think he’s out there somewhere, do you think he’s happy, do you think he knows we miss him?”_ Those comments always hurt Maki more than they probably hurt Shuichi, with all his pain on display and hers buried under lock and key.

Maki wishes Shuichi was written in a language she could understand.

Cracking the door open to their room reveals Shuichi in bed, not that she’s surprised, he lays in bed on days in which he is hurting. Shuichi hurts most days, so most days begin with Maki leaving him alone until she can brave him again.

Having heard her footsteps, he’s sitting up in bed, blanket over his head. His eyes peer out from beneath their blanket, warm in a way Maki never thought grey could be. He smiles at her and the girl briefly returns it, setting his breakfast on their bedside table.

“Hi Maki, did I tell you I love you today?” His voice is hoarse from the long night they had spent crying. Birthdays when the person you love is dead and can’t celebrate it are especially hard. They had made a small batch of purple cupcakes with star sprinkles, even Himiko had openly cried as the three solemnly ate them.

“I don’t think so.” Maki says quietly, removing herself from those thoughts, and slipping back into bed. Shuichi opens the blanket just wide enough for her to join him and so she does,letting him wrap her up. Between the blankets and his grasp, Maki has never felt so warm.

“Oh, well, I love you.” Shuichi says softly.

“I love you too.” Maki responds, allowing herself to soak up his affections without guilt.

 _‘Being loved is not a weakness,’_ Maki reminds herself,  _‘Being loved is a strength.’_

So she sinks into his grasp with a soft sigh and poses a question, “Do you think Kaito would’ve liked those cupcakes yesterday?”

Shuichi nearly chokes on a sob, “He would’ve loved them.”

It’s then when Maki realizes that Shuichi was always written in a language she can understand, she just had to  let herself understand. He’s been speaking clearly all along, saying exactly what he needed to hear, and hoping she caught on.

Maki’s glad to say she finally caught on.

“Me too, we should make them again next year.” She says decidedly, realizing that his language feels good. She _likes_ talking about him, likes baring her open wounds like battle scars, likes being vulnerable as long as she gets to be vulnerable with him.

Shuichi kisses her temple and his tears wet her hair, but it’s the best damn kiss Maki’s ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think about the aftermath of v3 a lot and there’s a criminal lack of Maki/Shuichi content so I combined the two.
> 
> Tried Maki centric opposed to my usual Shuichi centric, hope it’s not too painfully obvious I wasn’t sure how to write around her!
> 
> -Bias


	5. Positive Mental Attitude (Shuichi/Kaede)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Through a song  
> Warning(s): None  
> Tags: Alternative Universe- College/University and Meet-Cute

Most days, Kaede commends herself on a positive mental attitude even when most people would be tearing their hair out in frustration.

Today, however, she can’t exactly say that. She’s about three steps beyond aggravated and one step away from pulling all her hair out and dropping out of college. Music education is something that comes to Kaede easily, most things to do with music usually do with her, but today she went off campus to sit in on a music class and it went less than desirable.

Needless to say, Kaede will be declining any job offers from any middle schools in the foreseeable future.

Sighing to herself, she heaves her satchel further up her shoulder. It’s not unusual for it to be heavy, it doubles as both her personal purse and bag for school work, but today she has a particularly thick book about music theory in it she needs to read over the weekend to write an essay on.

Her head aches just thinking about it, but she tries not to think about it too hard as she throws open the door to her favorite cafe. 

The little bell jingles above the door and Kaede  almost  feels as though all her worries have melted away. The atmosphere is cozy and warm, instantly soothing away the chill from the late autumn air. Quickly spotting a mass of dark brown hair, she begins weaving through tables to reach Maki as quickly as possible.

When she gets to the booth she wastes no time throwing her satchel into the booth and herself down after it with a rumbling groan. Her display of dramatics only earns her a half raised eyebrow from her best friend, who had been leisurely texting on her phone before Kaede had shown up.

“I’m never going to pick on you about your nannying job ever again,” The blonde whines, her tone bordering a whimper as she lazily throws her hair up into a bun. She can  feel  that it looks awful, but she has lost any and all energy to care about how she looks after the day she just had.

“That bad?” Maki says, briefly typing to finish off what Kaede assumes is a text to Kaito, before throwing her phone into the small black backpack sitting next to her.

Kaede spends the next several minutes ranting about the behavior of the class she oversaw, only pausing when the drinks Maki had ordered prior her arrival got to their table. She finally finishes her rant with an aggressive gulp of her caramel latte, “I didn’t even know kids could be that mean! No one is  that  mean in middle school.”

“Speak for yourself, I was mean as hell.” Maki says decidedly, blowing softly on her coffee in an attempt to cool it down. The smell of dark roast hits Kaede’s face and she scrunches up her nose in response. It smells  awful  and she’s told Maki as much before, but she knows the sugary sweet smell of her drink makes her friend’s stomach turn as well.

“That’s when you met Kaito, right?” Kaede swiftly changes the subject, more than happy to see the restrained smile tugging up on Maki’s lips at the mention of her long time boyfriend.

“Yeah, we met in seventh grade and began dating sometime in freshman year of high school.” Maki offers with a soft blush, surprising Kaede with the realization that she hadn’t known those specifics about her friend. Sometimes it feels as though the two have known each other much longer than a year, it never fails to shock Kaede that she doesn’t know everything about her friend yet.

“I want what you guys have, you two are so cute.” Kaede sighs softly, taking another sip of her drink to hide her unmanageable grin.

“No you don’t, he’s a menace. This morning he left his socks on the kitchen table. The  _table_ Kaede.” Maki says, practically spitting out the word table as if it committed a crime against her.

They spend the next half an hour talking about their day and other things going on in their lives. Maki complains about Kaito trying to rope her into adopting a dog, and Kaede knows as her friend she’s supposed to take her side, but Kaito’s side includes a  _dog_ .

When their drinks run dry, and Maki heads to use the cafe’s bathroom, Kaede finally checks the time with a wince, realizing that if she didn’t get home soon she would risk missing the next bus and wouldn’t make it back to her dorm until much later.

She texts Maki a quick goodbye, slinging her bag unceremoniously over her shoulder as she rushes towards the cafe door. In her rush, she fails to see the person turning away from the counter with his drink, promptly running into him and splashing his drink all down the front of his white dress shirt.

Belatedly, Kaede realizes that  thankfully  it had only been an iced coffee, but she’s already grabbing napkins from the counter and clumsily patting at the stranger’s shirt with sputtered apologies.

“Uh, I’m fine, it’s okay.” The guy mumbles, his hand gently pushing Kaede’s hand away to dry his shirt himself.

Hearing his voice Kaede nearly goes red all over realizing she just bumped into a guy and spent the better half of a minute _wiping him down_. She quickly rises from her hunched position, finding that she’s just a little bit shorter than this stranger. His face is tilted down as he focuses on drying the wet spot on his- admittedly very smart looking- button up.

Looking at him, even from this awkward angle, Kaede realizes this stranger is  _unfortunately_ very handsome. He has black hair that almost looks navy blue under the cafe’s lighting, and it’s long enough to fall into his face. His long dark eyelashes casts shadows over his high cheekbones and Kaede hates the way her heart picks up at the sight. He looks up from his shirt to make eye contact with her and offers a shy grin. Kaede isn’t sure if she’s insanely lonely or just plain hopeless, but his grey eyes are  _warm_ and send pleasant tingles down her spine.

She goes to ask for his number, maybe offer to buy him a new coffee if he agrees to a date, but the stranger opens his mouth and shatters all hopes of that.

“Thanks for the help, but I really should clean this up in the bathroom.” He doesn’t wait for her response, quickly shuffling around her to rush into the bathroom.

Kaede’s words shrivel up in her mouth, discouraged, resigning herself to a life without a pretty boy she literally wasn’t able to speak a single word to beyond apologies.

_‘Man, I’m a bit sad aren’t I?’_ Kaede thinks to herself, finally resuming her hustle, running out the door so as to make her bus on time.

She doesn’t.

For the next week Kaede’s schedule is full to the brim with school work and her part time job that she feels as though she barely has time to think. In those moments where she actually has time to sit and exist without a million things to do, her mind keeps wandering back to the guy she had ran into at the cafe.

He wasn’t really her usual type, but something about him had grabbed ahold of her and has yet to let go. She doubts she’ll run into him again, but finds herself keeping her number on a folded up piece of her paper in her bag on the off chance she ran into him again.

Maybe it’s a bit weird of her, but she’s refusing to let him slip away a second time.

Finally after dealing with a week that felt slow as molasses, Kaede finds herself on Saturday, excitedly waiting to meet up with her friends. The group (consisting of herself, Maki, Kaito, Miu, and a friend of hers that Kaede doesn’t know) is going to be grabbing coffee before heading to the festival in town. Thinking of the cafe makes her giddy in excitement, hoping that he’s also student and frequents the coffee shop much like other students did.

Even without the hopes of seeing mystery guy again, Kaede finds herself more and more excited as time rolls by until Kaito and Maki come to pick her up.

It’s cold outside her dorm, but she’s always preferred waiting outside instead of inside. The signal outside of the building is atrocious and Kaede would rather be outside when they get there than to have to constantly be checking her window for Kaito’s car.

It doesn’t take much longer until the junky car pulls into the parking lot of her dorm, and Kaede hops into the back. She tries not to talk  too  much shit on Kaito’s car, especially since she didn’t have one herself, but Kaito’s car is a special type of worn down.

Kaito waits until she’s buckled in, offering her a quick grin, before turning down the music just enough so they could talk over it without yelling.

“How ya been, Kae?” Kaito asks, mirth clear in his tone as he pulls out of the parking lot, his eyes meeting hers quickly in the rear view mirror before going back to the road.

Kaede has always liked Maki’s boyfriend, finds him to be a really good guy, but she doesn’t get to see him all that often because of their conflicting schedules, so seeing him is always a nice time for her. Especially since the two of them have very similar energies and seem to drive Maki  insane  when paired together.

“Good, unbelievably busy though. You talk Maki into a dog yet?” Kaito laughs boisterously at her words, earning him a lighthearted swat on the shoulder from Maki who urges him to stop laughing and keep his eyes on the road.

“Yes, he did. I wish you would’ve been busy enough to stop sending me messages about that guy you bumped into.” Maki mutters, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, really? About time, thought I was gonna have to install tinder into your phone while you weren’t looking.” Kaito teases, but he’s very clearly interested in this mystery guy.

Which is insanely embarrassing when she realizes she’s going to be admitting that her mind has been stuck on a random guy she bumped into one time a week ago.

They pull into the parking lot of the cafe right as Kaede utters, “See... about that.”

By the time she’s caught Kaito up to speed they’re sat down inside the cafe, sipping their respective drinks as they wait on Miu to arrive with whatever friend she’s bringing.

Rarely did Miu ever  actually  bring friends though, about ninety percent of them end up being her secret partner or hookup buddy of the week. Kaede loves Miu, truly, but a lot of the people she brings around almost always lack substance beyond being pretty.

“Oh she’s finally here!” Kaito exclaims, waving a hand excitedly to catch her attention. Kaede looks behind herself at the counter and feels her breath catch in her throat as she realizes that Miu brought the guy she had bumped into last week.

“That’s him,” Kaede whispers in a panic, her head turning back to the two of them so quickly her hair goes flying into her face.

“Your mystery guy is Shuichi? Man, you definitely know how to pick them, in another life he would totally be my husband.” Kaito says solemnly, making Maki puff up her cheeks in a pout.

“Do you wanna die?” She questions. Kaito just laughs at her, throwing an arm around her shoulders to pull her in close.

“Ugh this sucks, I never even thought to think that he might be dating someone.” Kaede mopes, dejectedly taking a long sip off her drink.

“Nah, he is definitely single, it’s all Miu bitches about to me. So you definitely have a chance.” Kaito corrects, wiggling his eyebrows conspiratorially at her. His eyes leave hers to glance behind Kaede and that’s all the warning she gets before Miu and the guy-  _Shuichi-_ are there.

“Hey losers! Brought Pooichi with me,” Miu greets in her usual crass manner, jabbing a thumb back behind her at him.

He’s standing just behind her, his hands awkwardly cupping his iced drink as he grins at the group. Instead of a button down, this time he’s wearing a striped black and white t-shirt, rolled up just above his elbows. He’s clearly wearing eyeliner and it makes Kaede feel a little giddy to see paired with his pretty eyes.

“Oh hi, you’re the girl from last week. I’m Shuichi,” He grins at her, offering his hand for her to shake. She grasps his hand in hers, feeling a bit weak kneed when he squeezes gently.

“Hi! I’m Kaede, it’s really great to see you again.” She says sincerely, if not a bit too excitedly. 

“Alright budge over you two, I ain’t got all day to see you two fuck each other with your eyes.” Miu rudely interrupts, a bit too loud for the environment they’re in.

Kaede goes to scold her but stops abruptly when she sees the bright pink blush dusting Shuichi’s face as he quickly slides into the booth next to her. Miu slides in after him, pushing up against Shuichi’s shoulder and whining loudly about him taking up too much space. He scoots even further, his shoulder pressing into hers as he offers an apologetic grin.

Miu catches Kaede’s eye when Shuichi is preoccupied talking to Maki about a class they share and  _winks_.

By the end of the night Kaede has a date with Shuichi and immense appreciation for Miu.

One date becomes two and before Kaede even realizes it it’s been two months since they’ve made it official.

Maybe Kaede is just helpless, but as days go by she stops thinking about how she’s falling in love and realizes she’s _already_ there. She spends more time with him at his apartment than her own dorm room, he brings her lunch every day when she’s working, and she’s even started joining him in training with Kaito and Maki.

Parts of her become so integrated with parts of him that often times she has a hard time recalling how life was without having him in her life. She stops thinking of it as _her_ future and begins thinking of it as  _their_ future.

It’s a scary realization and Kaede hasn’t ever really been serious about a partner like this before. She’s not sure if she’s getting ahead of herself, but every time he calls her “sweetheart” or presses a kiss into her hair she falls all over again and just confirms what she already knows.

She’s irrevocably, undeniably in love with Shuichi Saihara.

The easiest part is admitting it to herself, but telling him how she feels is a much scarier task. She wants to tell him so badly that it almost hurts her to not be able to.

For all that Kaede is, words have never come quite as easily to her as music does.

Realizing that, Kaede grabs her lyric journal and settles down in front of the portable piano keyboard that she’s tucked into a corner of Shuichi’s living room.

Hours pass and she’s not exactly surprised when she realizes she spent all day working on this piece, but she is a bit frantic to at least look presentable when Shuichi gets in for work. However, before she can get a chance to dart into the bedroom to change out of her pajamas, the lock in his door clicks open and Shuichi walks through the door in all his glory.

Even with nerves stewing in her stomach, she smiles happily at him, moving from the bench to greet him at the door. Hearing her footsteps, Shuichi looks up and grins in the way that always make her knees just a little weak.

“Hey sweetheart, busy day?” He hums warmly when she rises just slightly on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck in a hug. His hands find her lower back and he ducks to press a chaste kiss to her neck.

“Uh kinda,” Kaede replies when she lets him go, her voice slightly cracking with nerves. If her nervousness is obvious Shuichi doesn’t make note of them, hanging his keys on the hook by the door as he shuts the front door with his foot.

Kaede watches him do so before softly grasping his hand between her own, drawing his eyes back over to her.

“Is there something you need me for? Sorry I’m taking so long.” Shuichi murmurs, squeezing Kaede’s hand gently between his own, bringing their intertwined hand up to his face to press a kiss to the back of her own.

Kaede’s face burns and before she can talk herself out of it she finally says, “Um... can I show you something I wrote on the piano? It’s for you.”

“Of course, I love hearing you play.” They let go of one another so that Kaede can play and since they both can’t fit on the flimsy bench, Shuichi pulls a chair from the kitchen so he can sit next to her as she plays.

It’s the most nerve-racking thing Kaede’s ever done, but she manages to keep her hands steady as she plays the soft melody. The same can’t be said for her voice, as it quivers when she switches pitches, but she definitely doesn’t sound  bad.

The song breathes life into a lot of her feelings towards him she’s never been able to vocalize before, but as it draws to a close she miraculously keeps her voice even as she finally sings those words,  _“I love you.”_

Her hands go still on the keyboard, her lilac eyes peering up at him through her lashes as if they can shield her from his reaction.

Shuichi’s eyes are gleaming like polished jewels and before Kaede can ask the question hanging off her tongue, Shuichi is leaning in to kiss the words from out of her mouth.

When he pulls back he doesn’t go far, cupping her cheeks in his hands as he leans in for a shorter, much simpler kiss. When he pulls back, Kaede is breathless and on cloud nine.

“That was so incredible, sweetheart. I love you too, I love you so much.” This time Kaede is the one to pull him in and she feels like she’s drowning in his affection that goes rolling off his skin like waves in a tide.

Most days, Kaede commends herself on a positive mental attitude even when most people would be tearing their hair out in frustration.

Today, however, she wouldn’t be needing that superpower of hers. The man she loves loves her back and that’s all she needs in this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is over 3k words long... Saimatsu shippers come get y’all food.
> 
> -Bias


	6. If This is Love (Miu/Kokichi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A taunt, with one eyebrow raised and a grin bubbling at your lips.  
> Warning(s): Depictions of a toxic relationship and Kokichi-bashing.  
> Tags: Unhealthy Relationships, Character Study (sort of)

Miu wishes she could explain why her brain works the way it does, why it attaches itself to those who aren’t good for her and refuses to let them go.

She can’t though, and she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to.

Toxic person after toxic person lead her straight to him- to Kokichi.

He’s never quite tried to hide how bad of a person he is, lying and tormenting their classmates at any given moment. Despite the bright fucking red flags waving like warnings in the wind, Miu instantly takes an interest in him.

Not because she wants to fix him, she’s not _stupid_ , but because he  intrigues  her.

She wants to take him apart, dig her fingers into his skin, and decipher his inner workings. She wants to understand him, define him, figure out the method to his madness.

Whatever it is that she wants, it isn’t healthy and she knows that, but she simply doesn’t care.

She’s not quite sure when intrigue turned into friendship and friendship turned into love. More accurately friendship into touches that burns holes into her skin, carefully crafted insults disguised as banter, and the ever present feeling of sickness- if you could ever call that love.

Miu hasn’t ever quite been loved before, but she knows that love shouldn’t feel like this. Whether this is her fault or his, she can’t say. She can’t even say if she ever loved him once upon a time, but she can say without a certainty of a doubt she doesn’t love him now.

Not when he turns “I love you” into a taunt, a threat, a warning sign. Not when he looks at her like that with an eyebrow raised and a grin hidden beneath the surface, far too harsh to ever feel like love.

So when he says it this time she sees it coming. The raised eyebrow, the grin bubbling just beneath his heartfelt facade and a simple-

“I love you, Miu.”

She takes a deep breath and shakes her head, “I don’t love you, Kokichi and I could almost bet my left tit you don’t love me either.”

The world doesn’t shatter around her and time doesn’t stop. It’s that simple, that easy. Leaving Kokichi was just as easy as getting there in the first place.

No more timed insults, mind games, or his usual bullshit disguised under what he claims is affection.

If his definition of love felt like  _that_ ,  Miu didn’t want to understand him and for once, she’s okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is in no way meant to disrespect anyone who enjoys this ship, but as someone who doesn’t really like Kokichi or Miu I can say with a certainty that Miu deserves better.
> 
> -Bias


	7. When You Know (Korekiyo/Miu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Slowly, the words dripping from your tongue like honey.  
> Warning(s): Brief, non graphic mentions of past abusive relationships and sex.  
> Tags: Established Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Alternate Universe - Non- Despair

Before meeting Korekiyo, Miu couldn’t honestly recall a time when someone seemed interested in her beyond what she could offer them. She grew up rather sheltered before her parents’ passing and when they both left her at just eighteen, she was thrust into the real world far too quickly. With more money than a girl her age could ever need and an inability to understand social cues, it wasn’t long before she got taken advantage of.

Money, favors,  _sex_ ... Miu had done it all for the sake of what she believed was friendship.

Then she met Korekiyo at a house party and everything changed for her.

He had genuinely been interested in her as a person, not as someone who can do something for him, but as someone who intrigued him. He was the first person to ever sit down and care about her story outside of the pretty rich girl persona, it didn’t help he was awfully pretty himself.

After the house party their relationship moved much alike a wildfire, quick and all consuming. Despite the fast pace they set for themselves, it never felt rushed in any way. Miu always thought that when you know when you know and that was absolutely the case with Korekiyo.

She hears the shower turn off in Korekiyo’s bathroom, having spent the night last night at his place. For once she woke up earlier than him and quickly found herself cooking the two of them breakfast. A few more moments pass before she hears Korekiyo slowly begin padding down the hallway, his steps nearly inaudible because of his light steps and the carpet.

Skinny arms wrap around her torso from behind and lips press against her exposed shoulder as Miu tries to cook breakfast for the two.

“You’re going to burn that, beloved.” His voice is rich and sugar sweet like it always is. His long hair falls over her shoulder and tickles her arms. His hair is still wet and a bit cold against her heated skin, so much so that Miu can’t help the shivers that takes over her body at the feeling.

“I am not! I’m a gorgeous girl genius, I can make some fucking pancakes.”

He laughs, “Of course, my apologies.”

She, of course, burns the pancakes.

Perfectly content after a bowl of cereal, the two curl up on the couch, Miu laying atop of Korekiyo as he lovingly brushes fingers through her thick curls. At the beginning of their relationship Miu was always cautious when it came to laying like this with him, hyper aware of his thin frame and her curvaceous one.

Now, she can care less if she squishes him.

Listening to his heart steadily beat in his chest under her ear and the careful way he runs his fingers through her hair, Miu can’t really help the words she says next.

“I love you.”

She freezes when she says it, but Korekiyo’s reaction is a mere pause in playing with her hair before going back to twirling a strand around his finger.

“Naturally, I love you too.” He says it slowly, as if giving her time to process it, his voice dripping affection thickly like honey off a spoon.

She glances up at him, his eyes already trained on her with such obvious admiration it makes her heart skip a beat. Instead of voicing that, she grins and presses her lips against his chin, before laying her head back against his chest.

When her ear presses back against his chest, his heart is beating just a little faster in his chest and she hides a giddy grin by burying her face in the fabric of his t-shirt.

When you know, you know, and Miu’s never felt more sure of her knowledge in something in her entire life.


	8. Irreversibly, Uncontrollably (Maki/Kaede)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the late sunlight glowing in your hair  
> Warning(s): Mentions of sexual content, but nothing graphic. This one shot also deals with death and loss but nothing explicit. Read with caution if topics like that trigger you.  
> Tags: Alternate Universe- Non Despair, Loss

There’s some part of Maki Harukawa that will always irreversibly, uncontrollably love one Kaede Akamatsu.

That part of her that memorized the way her lilac eyes brightened up whenever she had an idea, the part of her that still has the way her voice feels against her neck imprinted on her being, the part of her that has held on to her consistently since her abrupt exit from Maki’s life.

Maki wishes she could pinpoint that exact moment she fell for her, but really she’s always been blind to her own feelings. At the end of the day all she had was the day she finally said it- one summer day on a late Tuesday afternoon.

The sun had shone down on Kaede’s straw blonde hair, eyes impossibly bright, and lips pulled into a grin. Maki can’t remember how they ended up in the field, just that Kaede had called her to pick her up, and she had jumped at the opportunity. The grass is itchy and Maki’s sure that it’s called “blades of grass” for the simple fact it felt as though the grass was slicing her to pieces.

But Kaede looked so beautiful when she’s happy, and by god was she always so happy, so Maki could hardly ever complain.

“I love you.” Maki said and it was almost comedic how easy it was to say. She remembers how Kaede’s face had scrunched up, ever so slightly, and how quickly her heart had plummeted upon seeing that. That moment didn’t last long as Kaede propped herself up on an elbow, blonde hair a curtain around her face, taking a long look at Maki.

“You do?” She asked and all Maki could offer is a nod. Kaede had grinned that impossible grin of hers and pressed a bruising kiss right to Maki’s unsuspecting lips.

It wasn’t until later, long after the sun is set and Maki’s neck was a mosaic of fading purple, that she realized Kaede never said it back.

Then she stopped picking up the phone.

Maki remembers that hurt like it’s fresh, and perhaps it still is, in a way. Remembers how she called her all hours of the day, how she pressed slim fingers against the splotches of her neck until it hurt, examined herself in the mirror and wondered what she had done so  wrong.

It’s right now, with an untouched neck and her phone gripped tightly in her hand, that Maki gets her answer.

“What?” Her own words seem foreign to her, quiet and detached. The world is silent around her in a way it hasn’t been for a while.

“She passed earlier this morning, I’m sorry Maki, I know how much she meant to you.” She recognizes the voice as Kaede’s twin, but beyond that she can’t comprehend anything else.

If she had  known  how much Kaede meant to her why hadn’t she answered her questions back when all this was still fresh? Maki can’t even recall how many times she had called her all those weeks ago, just begging for a sign she was okay.

She never got one and she’s sure as hell never going to get one now.

Instead of saying all that, she manages out, “How?”

“Cancer. She’s been eat up since we were kids, we got the estimated time she had left about a month ago.”

About a month ago Kaede had bruised and seduced her in a field then disappeared without a single word.

About a month ago Kaede learned she only had about a month left to live, perhaps she learned right before she made that phone call to Maki.

She thought she had lost her that month ago, but today she lost her in every way tangible. Her neck long since lost color, their text logs full of pleas from Maki to just  talk to her , and now she’s truly and honestly gone.

Maki wishes she could resent that, resent her, but she can’t.

She hangs up the phone and gets in her car.

She has a field to lay in, if only for the night.

Maybe one day Maki will meet another lover to paint her neck purple and make her heart race, but none of them will ever have eyes that glimmer in the sunlight or hair so soft it’s velvet. Maybe one day she’ll love again, but she’ll never love them quite the way she loved her.


End file.
